Here is a look at some interesting facts about the world's longest bullet train service:

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2,298-kilometre line reduces travel time drastically

In pic: CRH380 (China Railway High-speed) Harmony bullet trains are seen at a high-speed train maintenance base in Wuhan, Hubei province, early December 25, 2012.

The opening of the new 2,298-kilometre (1,425-mile) line between Beijing and Guangzhou means passengers will be whisked from the capital to the southern commercial hub in just eight hours, compared with the 22 hours previously required.

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Live reports

In pic: A high-speed train departs a platform in Hebei province south of Beijing on December 22, 2012.

China Central Television broadcast the 9:00 am (0100 GMT) departure of the first train live from Beijing West Railway Station. It also carried live reports inside the train showing passengers toting cameras to apparently snap commemorative photos.

Another train departed Guangzhou for the capital at 10:00 am, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

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Average speed of 300 kilometres per hour

In pic: A display shows the speed aboard a high-speed train in Hebei province south of Beijing on December 22, 2012.

Trains will travel at an average speed of 300 kilometres per hour over the line, which includes 35 stops in major cities such as Zhengzhou, Wuhan on the Yangtze River and Changsha.

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Why December 26 was chosen

In pic: A stewardess stands at the entrance of a high-speed train running from the Beijing to Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province, at the Beijing west railway station in Beijing on December 26, 2012.

State media have reported that December 26 was chosen to start passenger service on the Beijing-Guangzhou line to commemorate the birth in 1893 of revered Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

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China's high-speed rail network was established in 2007

In pic: A stewardess waits to greet journalists boarding a high-speed train at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing on December 22, 2012.

The Beijing-Guangzhou route was made possible with the completion of a line between Zhengzhou and Beijing. High-speed sections linking Zhengzhou and Wuhan and Wuhan and Guangzhou were already in service.

China's high-speed rail network was established in 2007, but has fast become the world's largest. Xinhua said that China now operates 9,300 kilometres of high-speed railways.

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Improved maintenance

In pic: A stewardess waits to serve journalists aboard a high-speed train at the Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing on December 22, 2012.

The state-run China Daily newspaper reported that the nation's high-speed rail network is set to jump to 50,000 kilometres by 2020, with four main lines running north and south and another four east and west.

Authorities said they have taken steps ahead of the new line's opening to improve maintenance and inspection of infrastructure, and emergency response measures.

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Service opened in time for China's Lunar New Year

In pic: Stewardesses offer tea to journalists aboard a high-speed train in Hebei province south of Beijing on December 22, 2012.

The train's opening means that it will be in service over China's Lunar New Year holiday period, which falls in mid-February next year.

Hundreds of millions of people travel across the country during that period to visit their ancestral hometowns in the world's largest annual migration.